[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 6] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 7819] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]WHY AM I A REPUBLICAN ______ HON. BOB SCHAFFER of colorado in the house of representatives Wednesday, April 28, 1999 Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to submit Mr. Steve Remington's answer to a question I recently posed to him, ``Why are you a Republican?'' Today, I would like to share with you his answer. This morning, at the republican breakfast, you asked me a question; ``Why am I a Republican?'' At the time, I did not realize that you were indeed looking for me to speak on the subject. I truly appreciate your sense of humor, and I apologize for not realizing that you were serious. However, since you asked me a direct question, I owe you a direct answer. I am a Republican for three reasons; my values, my beliefs in fiscal responsibility, and my beliefs in the role of government. I know that I will not have access to all of the information that an informed legislator and their staff will have. While the political banter happens during the election, I realize that there is always more to the story than the press will reveal. Therefore, I pick candidates with integrity and values similar to mine. My belief is that these candidates will vote, when all of the facts are available, for the best possible decision. My father, my son, and I have all received the Eagle Scout award. For three generations, we have believed in honesty, truth, reverence, and dedicating one's self to making the world a better place to live. I find that the Republican candidates tend to line up with these values more often than not. Secondly, I believe that we can continue to do better as a society. We can do more for the environment. We can make education stronger. We can continue to promote positive business growth. Social Security can be solid, and we can lead the world to peace. Yet, I believe that it is possible to accomplish all of this and maintain fiscal responsibility. We do not have to mortgage our children's future to satisfy a short-term greed. I find that these tend to be the values of the Republican Party. Finally, people do not exist to serve the will of the government. The government exists to serve the will of the people. We should not have government for government's sake. There should never be any more government than is necessary to meet the needs of our society. In order to survive in a competitive world, the private sector is always looking for ways to be more efficient. So it should be with government. These beliefs find a home in the Republican Party. Again I apologize for not realizing that you were asking me a question in earnest. I trust you will accept my response to your inquiry. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be a friend of Steve Remington. ____________________